What mechanisms are in place for Assembly Members and the Welsh Government to evaluate on an annual basis, the performance, accountability and value in cost-terms of the regional education consortia across Wales?
Local authorities retain statutory accountability for school performance, together with the responsibility for the exercise of statutory powers of intervention and organisation of schools. The regional consortia provide the school improvement activities on behalf of the local authorities and are accountable to them for the delivery of those activities. Scrutiny of the regional education consortia is undertaken by the Joint Committee/Joint Executive Group of the constituent local authorities in each region.
Termly challenge and review meetings are held between the Welsh Government and each of the regional consortia. I Chair these meetings annually in the autumn term and the focus is on monitoring of performance and achievement of outcomes.
Over the last year my officials have worked to streamline our regional grant funding to consortia. We now provide significant grant funding through just two grants; the PDG and the Regional Consortia School Improvement Grant, directing over £230m through to the front line. The Regional School Improvement Grant encompasses the EIG.
The purpose of the Regional Consortia School Improvement Grant is to support the regional consortium and the related authorities within the consortium in delivering our aspirations and priorities for schools and education outlined within Ambitious and Learning in Prosperity for All, and our plan of action for education, Our National Mission.
In December 2017 my officials wrote to consortia Managing Directors providing them with a funding letter, confirming the indicative grant allocations and expectations for 2018-19. The letter asked consortia to take account of our priorities and actions outlined in Our National Mission in their business plans, both in their high level published plans and in their detailed supporting planning. The regional consortia outcomes framework and business plans are made available on their websites. A number of additional allocations for 2018-19 were issued to consortia in March.
In line with the governance arrangements agreed through the National Model for Regional Working, local authorities and consortia then agree the funding distribution of the grant and the priorities for spending at a regional and local level through their regional Joint Committee and Advisory Boards. Consortia have regional business plans in place, agreed through their governance arrangements, which take account of the total funding available to them and for schools to support school improvement.
In determining how to distribute the grant, consortia will take account of their priorities within the region and individual local authorities. Given that needs vary across and within regions, the flexibility afforded by the Regional School Improvement Grant is important in supporting schools, consortia and local authorities to deliver against the intended outcomes of the grant and against their local and regional priorities.
My officials discuss expectations with consortia Managing Directors such as reducing administration spend where possible and take a school-focused approach to determining their spending plans, maximising the funding delegated to schools. The terms and conditions of grant also require the grant to be organised around a number of pre-requisites and requirements
The grant is outcome focussed. The activities and interventions funded by the grant and its outcome measures are monitored regularly by consortia challenge advisers and subject to termly review and challenge meetings, which are also used for monitoring performance and achievement of outcomes.
A closing end year report from consortia will include details of progress made throughout the grant period and an overall evaluation of the programme supported by case studies as appropriate.
Estyn also inspect the regional consortia. Each region underwent individual inspection by Estyn in 2016 and this has helped provide important areas for each to focus on. Follow-up inspection reports published at the end of 2017 showed that three out of the four consortia made strong progress since these inspections.